Heavenly ski school worker charged with attempted child exploitation

An employee with Heavenly Ski Resort’s Children’s Ski School has been arrested and charged with child exploitation and possession of child pornography, according to a District of Nevada U.S. Attorney’s Office statement.

Author:
KXTV Staff

Published:
9:14 AM PDT April 6, 2017

Updated:
9:14 AM PDT April 6, 2017

An employee with Heavenly Ski Resort’s Children’s Ski School has been arrested and charged with child exploitation and possession of child pornography, according to a District of Nevada U.S. Attorney’s Office statement.

Stephan DeGraffenreid, 26, of Gardnerville, Nev., is accused of two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography.

During an investigation at the ski resort’s children’s ski school, law enforcement found an iPod Touch which allegedly contained child pornography, according to the statement. The iPod was found to belong to DeGraffenreid.

A search warrant was later issued to search DeGraffenreid’s home, where investigators found a thumb drive that contained explicit images of children in a Gardnerville daycare facility restroom. DeGraffenreid later admitted to downloading and possessing the child pornography.

If convicted, the mandatory statutory minimum penalty is 15 years in prison for each of the sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation charges.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon M. Bryant.